Home Decor - Heart Paper Art

For those of you who follow me on facebook you know that I tried my hand at making some Valentines Decor and these heart art pictures are really hot on etsy right now.  I have seen several of them featured on HGTV and other popular shows. 

Here is another one that is more like mine.  I wanted the movement of the folded hearts since I wasn't going to frame it. 



This one is my personal favorite - you can find it here.



Here is an example of one on etsy right now where the hearts lay flat. 

I learned some things from trying this out that I'd like to share with you. 

1. It takes a lot more time that it looks and you need a LOT of hearts.  I used a small canvas and I needed 60 hearts

2.  You have to play with the direction you fold the hearts but I found that alternating rows was more pleasing to the eye than a random approach.  I started doing this toward the end.

3.  You need a really strong glue.  I used glossy accents and it worked great.

4. If I did this again I would probably mat it and frame it but I just wanted something to hang on a shelf for decoration.  I might re-do it next year so it looks different - maybe black and red.  



Recipe:

Cricut and George basic shapes for the hearts - cut at 1" real dial size on.

Fresh Alphabet from PTI for the letters

Hi friends - it Sizzle today. I wanted to update you on what is going on with our blog here in blog land. We are going totally laid-back. No schedules. We will just post when we have something to share. It could be anyone- at any time. That makes it more fun - right?

Today I am sharing a card I made for a girl who is having a baby. I am going to her shower tonight.

I have been trying out some new techniques and I think I am coming closer to finding my own style. Everyone has one but they are hard to find because we look at other people's stuff and like it so we try to do it just like that instead of working to find our own style. I am finding I like color and texture so I look for products that will help me with that. I have got a lot of coloring tools- chalk, colored pencils, ink, and now distress inks and the blender tool.

Here is what I came up with today:

I am always looking for boy stuff (hard to find but I AM finding stuff) this stamp set is all boy and has a bunch of cute boy stamps and sayings. I am always looking for ways to add texture - that's why I love my cuttlebug. The circles right of the mom with the baby is just white card stock that I "cuttlebugged" and colored with distress inks (antique linen, weathered wood and broken china).

I stamped the staying with ink on a white piece of card stock as well and colored that so it blended in with the other papers. The mom and baby I cut with my cricut at 3" out of navy and inked it black.

Quiet in the storm

Today has been a storm of letter writting to city officials and zoning commissions as I am trying to protect my neighborhood and my investment (my home) so today's post is going to be brief.

I thought I'd share yet another card I made. This one was for my wonderful mother-in-law for her birthday. I wanted to do something a little more mature and I always loved when people stamped with multiple colors so I tested it on these trees and birds:

I used a stamp by hero arts and inked it with green then rubbed off the ink on the birds and used a brush pen to color the birds blue.

At first it was just a brown background with the green strip but then I desided to add the scallop skirt to bring out a little more blue. Inside it reads happy birthday. I used a ruler when I stamped this time, it made a big difference.

Thank you for following!

Mothers card -NSD

Okay this is the other challenge I decided to do - a Mother's card.  This is what I came up with:

I used some of the stuff I bought from SEI last week.  I used happytape for the border.  Rub-ons for the i and u (making memories) and I covered a chipboard heart from making memories and wrapped it in string - like a hug.  I used a stamp for the border and stickers for the mother which I inked so they stood out a little more. 

Happy Birthday -

It was KKs birthday last week so we visited her this weekend and I whipped up a little card (yeah right took me forever!).  I loved it.  It is a lot cuter in person then in these pictures.  It looked a lot like her personality, I thought.  Remember that piece of chipboard I cut with my cuttlebug when I was testing my cricut vs the cuttlebug for cutting chipboard.  Well I finally used it!

There it is.  I painted it blue, covered it with paper which I cut to size with a craft knife.  I sanded around the edges to smooth it out.  Then I added a rub on.  Tied it with crochet thred (clearance $1 for 350 yards).  I wrapped the thread around- crossed it and taped it on the inside of the card. 

I used a poka dot background stamp from Martha Stewarts line- it tore when I peeled it off and was stucked to another stamp so I am not impressed with her stamps.  I tried to make it work but it wasn't perfect.  Grrr. 

I stamped the back of the card with red ink.  I cut birthday using the STAMPED cartridge which they are retiring.  sad.  I am glad I have it.  I used smooth and shorty.  I cut them on adhesive back mat paper so they went on as stickers.  They happy is another rub on. 

I used a punch on the border piece and rounded the corners. 

I like it most because to me it looks like KK.  I debated doing a black and white card because that is her thing but as Tim Gunn on project runway would stay - you have to stay true to yourself even when you are designing for someone else.  I am a color girl - no black and white for me!  

A stamped card - from a beginner

It's Thursday. I love Thursdays. They are ALMOST Fridays and Friday is my free day - well usually it is the doctor and dentist and all that kind of stuff day but at least there are two adults doing it all.

Today I am going to share another card. I love making cards. Have you noticed? The reason is that I can try out new techniques and products without a lot of waste. I am not a waster. I like to use things to pieces. So last week I bought some Stampin' Up ink. I have been collecting some stamps - since they have been on clearance - and needed some ink. I have tried out a couple of brands - distress ink, Stazon ink, Stampabilities ink and Stampin' Up. It is strange to me how different inks are but I am just entering this world so I am learning as I go.

There are tons of YouTube videos on stamping so I am trying to learn a little each day - during naps - if I don't have to use that time to work out (which I have been doing great at since I started managing my time).

To make this card I used a tree stamp set by Hero Arts. I got it 50% of at Michael's. I love their blog! They have good videos too. I need to get my hands on a heat gun to try resist embossing! You can find the how-to video here.

I stamped the same tree with perfect plum and certainly celery onto drawing paper. They aren't perfect stamps but I am learning so it is okay. I used my new ATG gun - yeah- to tape the paper onto the card. I used my Signo uni-ball white pen to do the stitching and added a vellum sticker thing I got off HSN a LONG time ago. You got to use those things when you see an opportunity.

I learned a lot. I guess real stampers use a rule and set pencil lines where they want the base of their stamp to be so everything lines up. -note to self-

Symbolism in creating a personalized Card

Hi everyone. I hope you all had a great Easter. I did. I just downloaded my pictures from my camera and I took 61 pictures - that is a record for me. Most of them were trying to get people to smile or getting the baby to look at me so I am thankful for digital camera! Can you imagine how much that would have cost the old way?

Today I am going to share a card I made and tell you the symbolism I used in creating it.

I made this for our Grandparents both of which are having a lot of health problems recently. I cut the butterfly from the Home Decor cartridge with my Cricut. I think it was cut at 2.5 or 3 inches.

I tried to age the butterfly so it looks a little worn down but still beautiful. I used a white soft color for the shadow and a dark color for the image. I used two different colors of paper for the background. One dark and one light. I mended the two papers together by piercing holes in the card and stitching with a needle and thread. I combined a light and a dark color of thread (green and brown) which also tie into the paper. I set the butterfly above the mended background with dimensionals. It is flying from the dark colored patter into the light colored paper - whole and intact.

It's those little things that make a homemade card special - not just for the person recieving it but for the person sending it as well.

Thanks for subscribing to our blog.

Sizzle

Excited to share

Hi again.  I just got the mail and I am so excited to share a site that I found and ordered from.  I have been looking for this white gel pen (Signo Broad White Gel Pen) for a LONG time.  It is supposed to be the best white pen on the market.  Scrapbookers and card makers use it for fo-stitching, journaling, etc and it has high reviews from EVERYWHERE.  I tried every office supply store, jetpens (which is where most people said they got them) but shipping was high and you had to spend 100 to get free shipping (great prices on Copics btw) so it didn't work for me.  I kept searching and I found this little site - buried. 

http://www.trendyrightnow.com/ and they have the best price on the pen and FREE SHIPPING - all the time - with every order. 

That is just too good not to share. 

I got my pens today and I was so excited.  I already tried them (I got a silver one and 2 whites) and they work great. 

Below is an example from one of my favorite blogs http://www.kwernerdesign.com/blog.  She uses the pen all the time.  See her latest card below. 

See my favorite here at twopeasinabucket.com: favorite

Organization made cute

Spring means cleaning and organization so I started on my binders - create (patterns/sketches), dream (home decor) and inspire (articles and cute pictures), learn (gardening-things I want to learn) --you get the idea.

I love using butterflies - to me they represent that things are always changing, improving and growing. We build a life for ourselves little by little and eventually we see the rewards. I love butterflies. I cut everything on my Cricut - home decor solutions cart. This cart has great images and it also has the blackout and shadow feature. It is a good one!

For the spine, I tried to get something down in the little sleeve but it got stuck and wouldn't come out so I just glued the spine on top of the plastic stuff. I am trying to decide if I should just put contact paper over it or mod podge or just leave it.

I think when I get them all done they will look really cute on my bookcase that I built last Sept. I am excited to cut all those pictures out of my piles and piles of magazine and organize them so I actually look at them again!

See my binders all naked.  Imagine them all dressed up sitting there - MUCH better. 

Well it is a beautiful day and I am off to the park to have a picnic with the kids and some friends.  What is your favorite way to organize.  Do you spring clean?

Tidbits and Boy Card

Happy March. My favorite month! Spring makes its debut and lots and lots of birthday cake. So today I did a boy style birthday card.

I used my Cuttlebug again for the background and for the badge. I colored the badge with the chalk to see if it would work- it did. This is what it looked like before:

I used a thick ribbon because thick ribbon is more boy to me and no matchy-matchy so the badge background is green. The boys liked it even the big boy and wouldn't be embarrassed to get this card in the mail = success.

This is a really quick and easy card.

Another note: Zig two way glue pens are my favorite for Cricut cuts and embellishments and it is only 2.50 at Walmart. I got one a Joann's at 40% off thinking it would be cheaper than Walmart but it wasn't. It was 4.19 at 40% off (I am returning it) so get you Zigs at Walmart. It is 8.99 on amazon. That is nuts - it's glue people - crazy!!

They look like this:

Another tidbit - I was up with a teething baby until 3 am (I'm learning I DON'T need as much sleep as I think I do) and I watched the end of the bachelor. I totally get his choice of Vienna. I was skeptical but I get it and I think he did a great job of defending her on ATFR. I am sure she is much better than the tabloids make her sound.

Oh and I am working on a project to submit for mypinkstamper.com. Exciting but I can't share...yet.

Using Chalk instead of Copics

It's Thursday, my favorite day of the week. Today I am going to show you a new technique I learned - it isn't new but it is NEW to me. I love the look of colored stamps and the latest craze is Copic markers but they are 6 dollars for one marker and you need at least three in each colorway to get a good result. The next best thing (and A LOT cheaper) is what I'll show you today.

Chalk.

I've seen these chalk sets in stores forever but never knew what they were used for. That is what I will share today. This is what you'll need.

You'll need white card stock, ink (I discovered Stazon works the best for coloring- because it dries fast and the colors are true), scissors, a large stamp that you can color in and chalk.

This is after you stamp - just boring right.

Add the lightest shade of the color first (light yellow and light green here).

Here is a look at the shades I had - I used the far right ones first.

Then use progressively darker colors to shade and get the effect you want. You can rub some off if it seems like one color is too dark.

Then cut the stamp out of the card stock and apply to your project.

It really gives it a pretty look and you can fix mistakes. I love this technique.

BTW I got this stamp sets and some others on clearance at Joann's and Michael's - 3$ for each set. That is a steal- maybe you can still find some at your local stores!

Paper Craft Tuesday with Sizzle

Good morning. I am slowing starting to feel better although I am still getting over a cold. The change of seasons really gets to my family and it is definitely changing to Spring here in Utah.

Today I wanted to share some cards I made last night. I love paper crafting but I haven't really gotten into as much as some people have. But it is really fun and I enjoy it when I do it.

Last night I wanted to play around with my Cuttlebug (a die-cut/embossing system) and use some embossing folders I got to make some birthday cards. Some turned into one birthday card and then another just for you card.

For the birthday one (above) I cut some card stock into 4 x 5.5 and folded it (I really need a score buddy because I am not a good folder) and then cut some green card stock a little smaller and ran in through my Cuttlebug with a happy birthday embossing folder (that's how I got that background.) The little present was a small embossing folder that I ran through with a small piece of red card stock cut to the size of the folder and then I sanded it to expose the white core.

This card I tried a card on my Cricut. I cut it from A Child's Year cartridge but I folded it a little crooked but just a little. I cut out this little bird tag and ran it through my Cuttlebug with the swirl embossing folder and sanded it a little. I also inked the edges with cat eye color box ink and stamped the sentiment.

I love the Cuttlebug. Those embossing folders make a big difference and I am so happy when the finished product looks like what I have in my head.

I am going to make some more birthday cards so I have some on hand to send to family when their birthday's come up.

Make a card today - it is fun and easy and gets your creativity going.

Make Your Own Baby Shower Guest Book

Hi (this is Sizzle) I am excited to share with you my latest project.  You remember the baby shower invitations my friend and I made a couple weeks ago, right? 

Well this was my next project.  We are doing an open house style shower so we won't be doing the typical shower games but we wanted to have a place where the guest could leave advice for the new mom.  I looked on-line for guest books and the cute one were like $50.  That is a super rip off, I thought anyways, so I decided I would just make one myself.  I think it turned out cute---what do you think?

I sometimes wonder if people like what I blog about because I never rarely get comments so let me know what you think! 

I used our invitations as a theme.  I used scrapbook paper to decorate the chip board and then had it laminated so it would last longer. 

I made the book from an old box I had laying around.  Don't throw anyway boxes!  They make great chipboard and covers for books like this one.  You could do mini-scrapbooks, sketch books, coloring books for kids - ANYTHING.  Just empty a special closet or something for them. 

Here is what I did used:

(a sketchbook- for the paper, 1" rings and an old box - I got all of it at Wal-mart)

This box was left over from a Martha Stewart applique kit shown in this post.  I took it apart and cut it down until I had two flat pieces. 

After I took all the flaps off I cut it down to 8x8 size. 

Ta da. 

This saves you money.  You don't need to buy those chipboard books you can easily make your own. 

Next I covered it with the paper on all four sides, decorated it and took the covers to Office Max to get them laminated.  This is what it looks like:

Front coverInside fron cover (I later put a poem here)The inside back coverThe back cover

I used paper from the sketch book which I cut to size and I also printed off some cute poems from this site

 

I placed them between the signiture pages just for an extra touch.  I thought it would give people something to read and remind them how special it is to be a mother. 

This is what the inside front cover looks like now.

Here is the poem by Mrs. Roy L. Peifer:

I Took His Hand and Followed

My dishes went unwashed today,

I didn't make the bed,

I took his hand and followed

Where his eager footsteps led.

Oh yes, we went adventuring,

My little son and I,

Exploring all the great outdoors

Beneath the summer sky.

We waded in a crystal stream,

We wandered through a wood;

My kitchen wasn't swept today

But life was gay and good.

We found a cool, sun-dappled glade

And now my small son knows

How Mother Bunny hides her nest,

Where jack-in-the-pulpit grows.

We watched a robin feed her young,

We climbed a sunlit hill,

Saw cloud-sheep scamper through the sky,

We plucked a daffodil.

That my house was neglected,

That I didn't brush the stairs,

In twenty years, no one on earth

Will know, or even care.

But that I've helped my little boy

To noble manhood grow,

In twenty years, the whole wide world

May look and see and know.

Designing Invitations

I've spent this week making invitations for our Primary Christmas Party for the teachers. We decided to do Oscar-type awards at it so we wanted it to be classy yet fun. When we were throwing around ideas I mentioned I had made the invitations for my wedding and something similar would be fun. I brought them in and it was decided to make them the same, so that's became my job.

It's been fun, and since it was the only thing I've had time for this week, I thought I'd share with you a little of how to make them -- just in case you're ever in need :)

First of all, when I designed them for my wedding, I wanted them to be similar to these Envelopments that I had seen at a store. Here's what mine ended up looking like:

They worked great for multiple inserts since you can put them all in the pocket.
(These I made with 12x12 paper and just cut it in half. The pocket is 3" and the others are each 4.5". ) I printed the address info directly on my envelopes in a font I liked and added an image in the corner to add some fun.

For the Primary one, the President had a bunch of 8.5"x11" paper so I adapted it to fit that.
This is how I measured it out: (click on picture to see the measurements)
*I cut the width to 6" (So the paper becomes 6"x8.5")
Then the pocket will be 2.5" and the others are 4.25" each.
*First make a template for the pocket by measuring 3" (half the width) in and 1" up and connecting that point to each corner. I then traced that on each piece, but don't cut it until after you score it, or it's harder to measure.
*Then score the lines on each section. I used a scoring blade on my paper cutter. That's the easiest to get them straight, but you can also use a bone folder.
*After you score it, cut out the pocket insert.
*To glue the pocket shut, the easiest thing to use is tacky tape. You do have to spend the time pulling the backing off, but it stays shut and doesn't get excess glue all over. Just make sure to leave a big enough slot to get your insert in.
(For this size, my insert is 5.5" x 4" )
*The image on the top should be about 3"x5". (I really had to look around to get the ones printed for the wedding announcements --I think it was winkflash.com, but it doesn't look like they do that size anymore) You could do in on photo paper yourself if you wanted. For these I just made an image myself and am printing it on cardstock.

Since I'm handing these out at church we decided not to use envelopes, so I just did this:
I cut the tags from cardstock (1"x2"), rounded the corners and punched a hole, and will tie them on a ribbon.
I still have to get the inside inserts printed and stuffed, but I'll add a picture when I'm done.

They are a little bit time-consuming, but I think it's fun and rewarding to see them when you did it all yourself :)